Frankenstein Journal Two

Chapters 9 – 12

            In chapters nine and ten, Mary Shelley uses a tremendous amount of imagery (more so than any other chapter thus far). I totally disagree with this. Granted Shelley wrote Frankenstein during a time when diction was at a high level and sentence structure was very complex and wordy, yet is all that miniscule detail really necessary? I realize she is trying to allow the reader to visualize the environment that surrounds Victor and his family members, but I think she could have done this more concisely.

I remained in a recess of the rock, gazing on this wonderful and stupendous scene. The sea, or rather the vast river of ice, wound among its dependent mountains, whose aerial summits hung over its recesses. Their icy and glittering peaks shown in the sunlight over the clouds. (Shelley 80)

I find the above quote to be extremely ridiculous in the way it goes on and on about the sights Victor is seeing. I can’t really talk on the behalf of others, but I can say that when I stumble upon sections of Frankenstein like the previous example I usually just skim over them.

            Another aspect of these two chapters that I criticize Shelley on is the way in which she portrays the monster when Victor runs into him at the summit. My main issue has to do with why the creature is able to talk so fluently and eloquently. Shouldn’t he be speaking gibberish or some other language unknown to the rest of man? If Shelley really wanted to succeed in creating something heinous and evil, she would have had him not speaking Victor’s language. However, that is just my own personal opinion.

Chapters 13 – 16

            This section of Frankenstein really made me consider if Shelley intended for the creature to be symbolic of a child learning basic concepts as it grows up. I feel like the creature thoroughly enjoys living in the hovel next to the cottage. My main reason in supporting this would be the fact that having a family live next to him, whom he can actually see and watch, allows him to pretend as though he’s a part of something. They, without knowing it, are serving as his parents. Victor is really supposed to be the adult figure or rather the “parent” in his life, but he leaves the creature at the sight of it attaining life. There’s really no other way to explain his actions other than the fact that he basically gets cold feet. Therefore, the creature learns all of the things he needs to know either by himself or by watching the De Lacey family. He learns how to speak French eloquently and fluently (thus explaining how he is able to communicate with Victor). In addition, he discovers how wonderful and mighty man can be, but also how destructive and awful they can be. The De Lacey family, in an odd way, shows how the previous is true. Victor, after some time, feels so comfortable with these people and considers them his family. He just wants to be accepted, and I think Shelley does an excellent job at allowing the reader to feel pity for the monster (even if it’s just for a split second) when his hopes of being accepted by the family are shot down once they discover who he is.

Chapters 17 – 18

            In chapter seventeen we learn that the monster wants Victor to make a female companion for him so he isn’t lonely anymore. If Victor cooperates, the monster will end his killing streak. However, if he fails to cooperate, the monster will continue his killing streak with blood thirsty vengeance. Before I found out what Victor’s decision was I truly hoped that he would choose not to abide to the monster’s wishes. Indeed, this sounds completely messed up, but I really want to read about actual horror stories. Thus far, in my opinion, this book has been rambling on about nonsense. If Victor doesn’t do what the monster says maybe the storyline will become more interesting and “juicier.”

            In my first journal entry I discussed how I didn’t really envision Frankenstein to be all that frightening. Nonetheless, my predictions have been correct so far (as I mentioned in the previous paragraph). Yet, after reading chapter 18 and discovering that Victor refuses to listen to the monster, I realized that my predictions could be incorrect and I literally became ecstatic. So many thoughts continued to pump into my head. Maybe I was wrong about Shelley and her writing style. Maybe the monster will go out and kill. Maybe the book will actually become SCARY. I’m not quite sure if I’m correct in any of my thinking because I haven’t read ahead, but I sincerely hope that I’m right about something. Perhaps, the monster doesn’t plan on killing random people. In fact, I actually think he’ll end up destroying Victor’s family (including Victor), and hence demonstrate to his creator the feeling of isolation.

Frankenstein Journal One

Chapters 1 – 2

            When I started reading this book, I was extremely surprised. I have always associated the word “Frankenstein” with the evil monster that people see in movies or on television. However, the first two chapters of this book have nothing to do with that “thing”. It actually has more to do with a man named Victor and the story of his childhood. Nonetheless, why in the world would a book called Frankenstein have some guy in it named Victor recalling his childhood? That had me totally befuddled, and thus I decided to take it upon myself to conduct further research on this topic. As it turns out, Victor’s entire name is Victor Frankenstein (hence why the book is called Frankenstein). I concluded that most of society, including myself, has this whole Frankenstein story mixed up.  First of all, Victor Frankenstein is the man who constructs the evil monster, but he is not the evil monster himself. Second of all, his last name was probably used for the title so that way the book could easily function as a biography (I could be wrong, considering I’m only two chapters into the book).

I get this feeling that by the time I’ve completed the book I’ll have a good amount of knowledge on Victor’s life and how his interest in natural philosophy leads to his tragic downfall, but not on the gruesome stories in regards to the creature he creates. I sincerely hope that my predictions are incorrect and that Shelley succeeds in combining a man’s life story with the malevolence of a creature gone mad. After all, as discussed in the preface, she intended for Frankenstein to be a ghost story.

Chapters 3 – 4

            At the beginning of Frankenstein, I got the impression that Victor was the perfect child. However, chapters three and four made me realize that he was far from that. Prior to leaving for The University of Ingolstadt Victor’s mom dies of scarlet fever and his departure was thus delayed a few weeks. He spends this time mourning with his family, but he eventually has to leave to pursue his education. What I don’t get is how at one moment he’s grieving the loss of his mother, and the next moment he’s able to pick himself up and leave his entire family. Even worse, Elizabeth tells Victor to write letters to them on a regular basis. “…they were all there – my father again to bless me, Clerval to press my hand once more, my Elizabeth to renew her entreaties that I would write often…” (Shelley 30). Yet, Victor never writes any letters. He forgets about everyone once he starts working on his creature. His family was probably worried sick about him. “…my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature. And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent…but I could not tear my thoughts from my employment…” (Shelley 39 – 40). Victor is turning into someone who even the reader cannot recognize or understand. Within the course of about ten pages, he goes from being a normal person who adores pretty much everyone and everything to some crazed mad man who has forgotten about the outside world and all of the love and enjoyment it has to offer.

Chapters 5 – 6

The creature that Victor has been working on for some time now has finally come to life. The way in which Victor reacts to this sight, however, is one that might not initially be expected. “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 42). Why is he now so repulsed by the thing that he once considered his prize possession? I get this hunch that Victor never really expects his project to succeed. He experiences many failures during the course of it and it takes almost two years to finish. Therefore, once the creature actually takes in a breath and opens its eyes, it’s easy to see why Victor responds the way that he does. He becomes incredibly horrified of this inhuman monster and basically wants it to go away. Although, I do find it weird how someone could devote their life to a project and become so obsessed with it only to completely reject the finished object and wish it had never been created. Additionally, it’s almost comical how Victor becomes so happy, later on, when he and Clerval return back to his room and he sees that the monster is gone. I don’t think he realizes that he is responsible for anything this “thing” does. Lastly, it’s easy to predict that someone will eventually be hurt or possibly even killed by the wrath of this being.

Chapters 7 – 8

            I feel like the main point Shelley is trying to convey to the reader, thus far, is that Victor made a horrible mistake when he created the monster.  In chapter seven, we learn that William has been killed. However, we do not know who killed him. Upon hearing this news, Victor heads straight to Geneva. It’s when he sees the monster lurking in the woods, where William’s body was discovered, that his worst suspicions come true; William was murdered by the creature! Even worse, Justine (a poor innocent girl who works as a maid for the Frankenstein family) is blamed for the killing and is wrongly sentenced to death. “Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts” (Shelley 71). Victor knows that it is because of his careless work that two people, who he held close to his heart, are now dead. He is also aware that they are not the last either. There will be more deaths to come thanks to the blood thirstiness of Frankenstein’s creature. It looks as though Victor’s life is on a downward spiral. Who knows, maybe even he will end up dead, by the creature, at the closing of the book. I’m kind of hoping to hear more murder stories (it makes the plot more interesting). Better yet, maybe even the creature himself will eventually take on the job of narrator and depict his life (instead of Victor depicting it for him).

Analyzing Hamlet: Sixteen and Pregnant Within Shakespearean Literature

            At a first glance, one might accidentally overlook certain parts of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. However, some of those parts are, in fact, very important hints which create a question that Shakespeare never answered. Is Ophelia pregnant with Hamlet’s child? Upon further analysis of the play itself, it does seem probable that she could be showing. The character of Ophelia exemplifies how easy it could have been for her to get involved with the prince in the first place; her innocence and immaturity would only bring about negative effects such as pre-marital sex and pregnancy. The fact that Ophelia commits suicide speaks loudly in regards to the above question and the method she chose, even more so. In act four scene five, Ophelia distributes flowers to all of the court, but she also leaves some for herself. “There’s rue / for you. And here’s some for me” (IV.v.193 – 8). She does not keep the herb simply for kicks; it will later serve a specific purpose. The songs that Ophelia sings in act four scene five also prove to hint at her pregnancy. “…all of her songs are songs of betrayed love” (Epstein). They are not just random songs. Lastly, Ophelia is definitely having sexual relations with Hamlet and thus a bastard child could easily be conceived. In prelude to these grounds, one can rightly assume that Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is, in fact, pregnant.

            Ophelia’s personality is a huge indicator as to why she is even presented with the opportunity to become pregnant in the first place.

Like many coming of age girls, Ophelia was thus simply the possessor of an easily influenced mind. This having of such a mind would have made it easy for us to believe in possible relations that could have been going on between Hamlet and Ophelia. (Soon)

Due to her age, when it comes to the concept of love she is very naïve. Not having the ability to access a situation, such as the one between herself and Hamlet could prove disastrous later on. “It is not hard to imagine Ophelia falling in love with the romantic Prince, and giving in to his passions” (Epstein). What a dream it would be for a girl to have a prince as her companion, however, in the case of Ophelia this dream is on a one way road to Hell. Considering the status of Hamlet’s family in society compared to the status of Ophelia’s family in society, marriage between the two of them is not an option.

There is an almost unnatural manner in the way she is told of this advice to keep her ‘chaste treasure’ and to ‘weigh what loss’ her ‘honor may sustain’. The lengthy discourse that is harped on the innocent girl is more a statement of Ophelia being in danger of becoming natural with her instincts rather than Hamlet forcing himself on her. (Soon)

Polonius and Laertes chide Ophelia for sustaining a relationship with the prince. The two of them believe it is her, mainly because of her age, not Hamlet who really is initiating the physical love between the two of them. They are aware of what is at stake which includes Ophelia’s virginity and the possibility of conceiving a child all before wedlock. Yet, there is even another take on what really causes Ophelia to behave the way in which she is behaving. “…Ophelia’s presence contrasts directly with predominant images of filth and decay…her flowering innocence is but a product of the filth and fear of her society…” (Soon). Denmark is impure and a girl, such as Ophelia, who is the product of innocence, can easily be transformed into an example of filth and decay. The people of Denmark and the country itself must be blamed for her pregnancy. According to Peter J. Seng, “…the critics who are so concerned to salvage her innocence tend frequently to forget that it was not Hamlet alone who sullied it. Ophelia’s father and brother have had their share in the spoliation of her mind’s purity and her child-like trust.” Once more, this quote further supports the argument of how it is those who surround Ophelia that corrupt her and in some ways “pressure” her into pregnancy.

            Ophelia causes many new questions to arise, by choosing to drown herself out of all the other possible ways of suicide. “Namely, when Ophelia commits suicide specifically by drowning herself, I think that many in an Elizabethan audience would take this as a clear suggestion that she was pregnant” (Lady 7). It was believed that if a pregnant woman sought to kill herself, she would do so by drowning (Lady 7). Additionally, those who became pregnant before marriage were looked down upon in Elizabethan Society. Ophelia does not want to feel that shame.

A girl who has been seduced and abandoned need fear nothing but a broken heart, provided there is no evidence of her shame. But if she is pregnant, then there is no way to hide what she has done, unless she can abort the child or kill herself. And, indeed…Ophelia drowns herself. (Epstein)

Since she has already heard her father and brother’s warning to stay away from Hamlet and to not, in any way, involve herself with him she knows that if they uncover her pregnancy she would face punishment. This could include disownment or even death. The only way out for Ophelia is suicide.

            There is, perhaps, one other way for Ophelia to keep people from finding out about her pregnancy that does not involve killing herself. The herb Rue could easily do the trick. “…rue…is a powerful abortifacient. The idea is that you poison yourself to the point where your body decides it’s too sick to support the growing embryo or fetus, and rejects it” (Epstein). In act four scene five, Ophelia hands out different breeds of flowers to the court, “…but the only herb she intends for herself is rue…” (Epstein). All of these flowers have different symbolic meanings. “The symbolic meaning of rue is, of course, regret” (Epstein). Ophelia could regret many things. However, one regret sticks out more than the others and that would be her affection for Hamlet, which in turn ties in with the fact that Rue is used in cases of abortion. Ophelia uses the Rue to abort the child that is created by her affection for Hamlet. Also, Ophelia’s madness is another implication that she does, indeed, utilize this herb. “…if these herbal medicines were not taken correctly, they would cause madness” (Soon). Ophelia is not necessarily acting mad because of the death of her father, but rather because she has recently been under the influence of the Rue.

            Although it is not explicitly stated, some of the songs Ophelia recites in act four scene five are clearly referring to Hamlet’s behavior toward her in regards to the sexual relations once kept between the two of them. Up to this point in Hamlet, the reader already has a considerable amount of evidence that could allow he or she to infer that Ophelia is pregnant. However, “…it is the mad songs that Ophelia sings…that really give away her secret” (Epstein). Her secret would be that she is carrying a child.

Quoth she, ‘Before you tumbled me,

You promised me to wed.’

He answers,

‘So would I’a done, by yonder sun,

And thou hadst not come to my bed.’ (IV.v.64 – 8)

The preceding excerpt from one of the songs is implying the relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet. The woman in this song blames the man for having sex with her before marriage. Yet, the man says he would not have done so if she had not come to his bed in the first place. This is precisely what happened between the prince and Ophelia and thus explains her pregnancy. Adi Soon the author of The Sexual Ophelia is in accord with this analysis saying, “…she blames him for promising to marry her before they had sex…and not keeping that promise” (Soon). The woman in the following song enters the man’s room a virgin but leaves it as the opposite.

Then up he rose, and donned his clothes,

And dupped the chamber door,

Let in the maid that out a maid

Never departed more. (IV.v.54 – 7)

Again, the man and woman show another correlation between Hamlet and Ophelia. Why else would Ophelia be singing these songs anyways? She wants everyone in the court to know what really happened sexually between herself and Hamlet. The best way for her to do so is through the use of songs.

            In act three scene two, Hamlet asks Ophelia if he can lay his head upon her lap. “Lady, shall I lie in your lap” (III.ii.107 – 8)? Upon further research this is not some random thing that Hamlet does. “A good way to show the physical intimacy and trust which a couple have is to rest one’s head on the other’s lap” (“Lap Pillow”). By lying in someone’s lap, you are visually portraying the affection you have for that person. “Usually, the man does the resting while the woman provides the lap, not only because of anatomical reasons but because the lap owner is typically of a nurturing nature more associated with femininity” (“Lap Pillow”). The fact that Hamlet is the person resting and Ophelia is the person he is resting on further validates the previous quote.

            Polonius scolds Ophelia for being so loose with her mind and body around Hamlet. “Tis told me hath very oft of late / Given private time to you, and you yourself / Have of your audience been most free and bounteous” (I.iii.97 – 9). He warns her of the consequences that are attached to her involvement with the prince. In act one scene three, he gives her advice both on his behalf and on her behalf.

Think yourself a baby

That you have ta’en these tenders for true pay

Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly

Or - not to crack the wind of the poor phrase,

Running it thus - you’ll tender me a fool. (I.iii.111 – 5)

Polonius does not want to be considered a fool for raising a daughter who could not stay pure until marriage. In addition, he does not want his daughter to present him with a bastard grandchild. According to Philip Weller the author of Shakespeare Navigators and Peter J. Seng the author of “Songs in Hamlet”, the word “fool” also meant a term of endearment for a baby during the Elizabethan Era.

            The way Hamlet treats Ophelia allows one to access the fact that there is sexual relations between the two of them and that she is carrying a child. A major part in the play where this can be seen is in act three scene one when Hamlet asks that all his sins be remembered in Ophelia’s prayers. “Nymph, in thy orisons / Be all my sins remembered” (III.i.96 – 7). They have had pre-marital sex and from that they have also possibly conceived a child. “If Hamlet has importuned Ophelia in honorable fashion, why should his sins be remembered in her prayers? The implication is that they have sinned together” (Epstein). They have committed indecent acts in private and those acts were looked down upon in Elizabethan Society. Also, Hamlet tells Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery. Why woulds’t thou be a breeder of sinners” (III.i.130 – 1)? The word nunnery is slang for a house of ill repute or in simpler terms a whorehouse. Hamlet obviously knows something about Ophelia that the reader does not. Perhaps, he knows it because he helped her commit the sin. “There needs no implication here…there is a strong sexual connotation that cannot be denied. Perhaps on another level, we can regard Ophelia’s alleged relations with Hamlet as sinful, therefore needing a nunnery as a place to ask for confession” (Soon). One can now reasonably assume that the chances of sexual relations occurring between Hamlet and Ophelia are high and the chances of a pregnant Ophelia are even higher.

            In conclusion, it is easy to see how Ophelia takes on the persona of not only an unmarried woman, but an unmarried woman who is pregnant. Accordingly, the previous can be seen through her actions and character, suicidal events, the flower Rue, miscellaneous songs, and sexual relations between her and the prince. Whether or not Shakespeare intended for the reader to view Ophelia in this manner is unknown. Nonetheless, many people still take these hints to be vivid suggestions that he did intend for it, and therefore they also take Ophelia to be a very round and glowing adolescent caught in the midst of a very troubled situation.

Works Cited

Epstein, Alex. “By The Way, Ophelia Is Pregnant.” craftyscreenwriting.com. n.d. Web. 08 March 2008.

Lady, Lee. Thoughts on Hamlet. University of Hawaii, Jan. 2002. Web. 13 Feb. 2011.

“Lap Pillow.” tvtropes.org. Television Tropes and Idioms, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

MacCary, W. Thomas. Hamlet: A Guide to the Play. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Questia. Web. 10 March 2011.

“Plants used as Abortifacients and Emmenagogues by Spanish New Mexicans.” Pubmed.com. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.

Seng, Peter J. “Songs in Hamlet.” Ed. Cyrus Hoy. Norton Critical Edition of Hamlet. New York: Norton, 1992. 217-23. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Trans. Alan Durband. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1986. Print.

Soon, Adi. The Sexual Ophelia. Geocities. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

Weller, Philip. Shakespeare Navigators. Eastern Washington University, Web. 28 Feb. 2011.

Analyzing Anglo-Saxon Culture Through The Texts of Beowulf and The Exeter Book

            The life of the Anglo-Saxon people is heavily depicted throughout The Exeter Book and Beowulf. A lot can be misunderstood about the Anglo-Saxon culture. At first glance, it could be seen as almost savage, where gruesome fighting played a major role in day to day life. However, these people were more than just cold hearted warriors. They in fact, valued an important concept that is still valued in present day society…this concept is known as community. In Beowulf, Heorot Hall served as a means to illustrate this. It was the “common area” or the place where allegiance was rewarded, customs were preserved, and great stories were shared. Also, in relation to community, the people of a land in Anglo-Saxon life cared about their king. The king fought for his people and kept his kingdom in one piece. Therefore, when death had struck Beowulf, the Geats gave back to their righteous king by way of a grand funeral. Additionally, community is something that simply cannot be broken. Within the lines of “The Husband’s Message” in The Exeter Book, two lovers were separated. The communal bond between them, though, was strong and thus allowed for a possible reunion. Thus, Beowulf along with The Exeter Book elucidates the importance of a closely knit society in regards to the Anglo-Saxon culture.

            Heorot Hall gave Hrothgar and the people of his kingdom a sense of pride; “… [it was] meant to be a wonder of the world forever; / it would be his throne-room and there he would dispense / his God-given goods to young and old” (Heaney 7). It sent a message of “power” to both neighbors and opposing countries over seas. Yet, this great mead hall also brought the king closer to his people. It was truly a place of congregation. “Inside Heorot / there was nothing but friendship…/ harp tunes and tales of adventure” (Heaney 67, 71). All stories and poems were told throughout the midst of great feasts. These feasts occurred multiple times throughout Beowulf; the most important one being after the defeat of Grendel. It served as a celebratory act and also as a rebirth of a once broken community. Furthermore, during every one of Grendel’s raids, Heorot Hall continually experienced some sort of damage. However, the damage was always repaired, quickly. For if the mead hall was in ruins, the community was in ruins too.

            Beowulf was king of the Geats. Throughout his reign, he proved to be a true man to all of his people. Page 159 in Beowulf, tells of how a dragon set Beowulf’s kingdom up in flames. Infuriated, he begins to plot revenge on the dragon. Beowulf eventually kills the beast but looses his own life by doing so. Out of respect, the people of Geatland give him a funeral. This is exactly how a community works; people give back to one another. When Beowulf slew the dragon he was avenging the loss of his peoples’ home. Yes, Beowulf himself died as well, but that is the whole point. Since he was dead, the Geats could give him an honorable funeral. Therefore, they were giving back to the person who had always fought their battles and stood as a hero.

            Family was an important part of Anglo-Saxon culture, and it meshed in conjunction with the overall take on community. If a family was forced to split, even if that family only consisted of a wife and a husband, the bond between them still lasted forever. In lines thirty-eight through forty-nine in “The Husband’s Message”, a husband writes to his wife and recollects on what has caused him to not see her for so long. He was banished from his country, but still longs to see her and he states that she is the only thing he wants in his life. “As long as life shall be in him, he’ll long / To fulfill the vows and the love you shared” (Raffel 54-5). The tie between the husband and wife was unbreakable. When the Anglo-Saxons committed themselves to something, they committed themselves for life. A marriage was one of those life long commitments. If a couple were to sever it, they would only weaken their part in being community orientated.

            In conclusion, Beowulf and The Exeter Book highly support the fact that Anglo-Saxon culture was built upon the value of community. While Heorot Hall served to define this value, love within a family and the relationship between a king and his people showed how the value actually worked in a society.

Works Cited

Exeter Book, The.

Heaney, Seamus, Trans. Beowulf. New York: W.W. Norton and Company Inc, 2000.

           

Beowulf and the City

            It can probably be said that almost every resident of Orlando, Florida has heard of the once great Sheriff Sheafson. Back when he was alive, crime was unheard of. People could sleep at night with their windows open and doors unlocked.  Yet, all good things cannot last forever and eventually Sheafson had to retire. He turned the job over to Beow. Of course, Beow had some big shoes to fill, but he filled them well. He kept the people of Orlando perfectly content during his career. However, just like Sheafson, Beow became too old to work and his job was passed on to the next worthy man, Halfdane. This sheriff, just like the others, continued to keep crime at bay. Now we begin to approach present day, 2010. Halfdane retired about five years ago and since then Sheriff Hrothgar has been running the town.

Unfortunately, things have not been operating as smoothly for Hrothgar as they once were for Sheafson, Beow, and Halfdane. This sheriff has faced many issues ever since he allowed for the relocation of the Orlando Police Headquarters. The new building was constructed in the territory of Grendel’s Gang. This aggravated the members of the gang to no extent. Every night, for the past twelve months, the midnight stalkers have been tearing Orlando inside out by breaking into homes, vandalizing public parks, and terrorizing the homeless. After trying to stop these attacks but never succeeding, Sheriff Hrothgar gave up hope. He indeed felt terrible not being able to protect his city, but Grendel’s Gang was just simply too hard to control.

Across the country, all the way out in Los Angeles, a man by the name of Beowulf began to hear about Sheriff Hrothgar’s misfortunes. Out there, Beowulf was known for putting an end to some of the toughest gangs of all time. Because of that, he decided to embark on a journey to Orlando with fourteen of his most worthy officers. His mission was to destroy Grendel’s Gang.

Meanwhile, nobody in Orlando had any idea some famous man was on his way to pull the city out of its troubles. Therefore, upon arrival, Beowulf and his crew were not really welcomed with open arms. The first person to greet the men was a security guard who operated the front gate of the headquarters. With a very suspicious voice, he asked the group,

“Hey there, can I see some ID please? I work this gate each day of the week and I have never seen any of you before.”

Beowulf spoke for all the men and said, “We are here to help the city of Orlando. I have heard that things around here have been very messy. Now, will you tell us where the sheriff is and open the gate?”

The guard was very happy to hear this news and let the team of officers on to the premises.

Then, Beowulf and his men began to search for Sheriff Hrothgar. They entered the building, which had been transformed into a chaotic mess ever since the uprising of Grendel’s Gang, and eventually stumbled upon the sheriff’s secretary. Her name was Sheila Wulfgar and she was eager to find out who these men were standing at her desk. She looked at the group and asked,

“What can I do for you today? Are you here to see Sheriff Hrothgar? If so, let me warn you, he really has not been in the best of moods lately.”

            Beowulf replied to the woman by saying, “Yes, we would like to speak to the sheriff. It is an urgent matter.”

            Sheila then picked up her phone and called Hrothgar’s office. She told him what was happening and who was here to see him. The sheriff remembered the good times he had working with Beowulf at Publix when they were both teenagers and told Shelia to send the group in.

            Hrothgar was so pleased to see his old friend and became even more pleased when Beowulf announced why he had traveled to Orlando. With a little excitement in his voice, Beowulf broke the news.

            “I am here to put an end to the terrifying nights in this city! I am going to catch Grendel’s Gang and give back to Orlando its long lost peace!”

            With this news Hrothgar called for a huge dinner at Outback Steakhouse because it was time to celebrate! Stories were told, good food was feasted on, and cold drinks were served around the entire table. Beowulf recalled a triathlon that he participated in a few years back. He discussed how during the majority of the race he was at the front of the pack. However, during the swimming part of the race, one of the contestants became too tired to swim and needed help. Beowulf decided to assist him and in turn fell into last place. Hearing this, a jealous man by the name of Unferth addressed the entire table and said,

            “Do not believe a word this man says! What really happened was that Beowulf just gave up and lost the race, simple as that.”

            Beowulf was now extremely aggravated with Unferth. However, instead of completely knocking his block off he replied by saying, “Unferth, buddy, you are awfully full of yourself to say that! What have you done that makes you so big and bad? You have not even tried to defeat Grendel’s Gang! In fact, I came here to basically do your job for you!”

            With that said, everyone knew it was time to leave before more tensions heated up. Hrothgar and his officers went back to their homes for the night while Beowulf’s group went and stayed at the headquarters.

            Later that night the God-cursed group decided to wreak havoc on Beowulf. They broke into the police building towards the middle of the night and open fired on the men sleeping there. One officer was shot and killed but the others had survived. Hearing all this commotion, Beowulf jumped up and grabbed his AK 47 (Rambo style). He then shot Grendel and all the other members of the gang.

            Orlando was back to normal. There would be no more nights of terror because Grendel’s Gang had been destroyed. People could now revert back to sleeping with their windows wide open and their doors unlocked. Beowulf had done the city a huge favor and saved Sheriff Hrothgar’s reputation. Oh, that good ole’ Beowulf did it again…what would we do without him?

College Essay

We have the same eyes. We have the same hair. We have the same build. In general, we just simply look alike. I am a twin and for all of my seventeen years of life I have worked to steer away from “we” and focus more on “I”.

There happens to be this really weird myth out there about twins. For some reason, people seem to think that two humans who look alike, must also think alike, and therefore, might as well be one individual. I cannot begin to count how many times I have been asked, “Do you feel like you’re missing a part of yourself when you’re not with your brother?” The answer to that question has always been a yes, no, and maybe mixed together. Yes, I’m missing someone who I consider to be my best friend, but no, all of my body parts are still fully intact. The maybe part of my answer has always confused me. I usually include it because I’m not certain whether I should or shouldn’t feel like I’m missing a part of myself. You see, my brother and I have pretty much always tried to out do one another just to get attention. Because of that, it feels unusual when I’m not around him. The rivalry has evaporated, and I no longer have to fight to be seen or heard.

The more and more I think about it, being a twin is almost like playing a sport. You are constantly in a competition and you have to keep practicing your game if you ever want to “one up” your opponent. Since I can remember, my brother and I have always played by these rules. Who can get the A+ on the history test? Who can get their bedroom the cleanest? Who can go the longest driving without getting a traffic violation? With pretty much everything we do, I always come out just a hair behind my brother. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that’s just part of being a twin, and if you do want to “win” or be seen as something other than a “clone,” you have to put forth the effort. Let me tell you, when that hard work does pay off, and I’m the victorious one, nothing can hold me back.

I’m sitting here at my computer writing this essay and now it hits me. Will my brother and I end up going to the same college? I really don’t know the answer to this question. My parents seem to think and hope that we will, but I have a different take on the situation. I’m ready to break away and start life on my own; independent and separate from my twin brother. Let the myth about twins being inseparable stay a myth. Testing the waters is my kind of thing.

About Me

Hey everyone. My name is Stephen Bolden. I'm seventeen years old and a senior in high school. I, of course, love writing long english papers in my spare time! :)